Agrested Development
by thebaeoffundy
Summary: In which Felix is Adrien's haughty older brother who takes on a secret identity to fight alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir. Yet Felix's loyalty to protecting Paris remains questionable, as the two superheroes wonder if he has other motives up his sleeve.
1. Chapter 1: Home

"What do you mean nobody can come pick me up?"

Felix Agreste sighed into his cell phone, rubbing his forehead to relieve his agitation. He had just arrived in the Paris airport after traveling all the way home from New York. Home, he thought. It had been almost a year since he had last been in Paris. A year of few phone calls or messages from his family. He received the occasional postcard now and then from his brother, Adrien, but there was little point to him holding onto those. Just seeing his brother's signature pop up on the card was enough to fill him with a distinct sense of disgust. And what was his father doing that he couldn't even get their driver to pick up his oldest son on his seventeenth birthday?

"Alright, alright," Felix grumbled. "I can just take a cab home. I'm hanging up now, goodbye."

He cursed under his breath at Nathalie's exact precision. Her straightforward, business-like nature annoyed him. Yet she was his father's personal assistant, and even if he were to be rude to her there was no point. His father had hired her for a reason. Nathalie had apologized to him, saying she thought he had said he would arrive back on the 18th of December instead of the 17th. Felix thought that was bull shit, as he had clearly stated his date of arrival several times over the last few weeks. Besides, it was his birthday.

"Why did I even bother coming back?"

As he strolled through the airport terminal towards the luggage carousal, a particular poster off to the side caught his attention. A few young teenaged girls strung themselves around the poster, gushing to each other about the young model being featured. Felix leaned against the wall, wondering who it was that was causing such a fuss. Besides women like Nathalie who appeared distant and boring, he disliked giddy girls who obsessed over handsome boys even more. But when the girls began to move away from the poster, Felix experienced a deep sense of dread upon seeing the face they revealed. It was Adrien.

He held his breath, a bit perplexed having to see his brother's face so soon. He was obviously modeling for their father's fashion brand, Adrien's gentle warmth radiating through his cool smile. Felix wanted to wipe that expression right off his face.

Felix felt something fall against his shoulder, almost knocking him over. Before he could totally regain his footing, he was about to grumble something at the stranger who had fallen on him. A girl around Adrien's age with two dark pigtails giggled nervously, backing up away from him. He was glad his sunglasses hadn't slipped off his face as he fixed them into place, furrowing his brow slightly at the girl. His expression softened when he noticed how nervous she seemed, quickly apologizing for having bumped into him.

Her face was somewhat flushed and her bright blue eyes stared downwards. Felix blinked. Something overcame him in that moment but before he could figure out the feeling developing in the pit of his stomach someone was calling out to the girl, commanding her attention. "Marinette! Marinette!"

"Oh, Bernadette!" the blue eyed girl exclaimed, her momentary embarrassment having disappeared. She turned back to him in a flash, patting his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for almost knocking you over!"

"Um, no, that's okay… you really… don't need to apologize?" Felix said flatly, but the girl had already dashed off. He stood, a bit dazed for a moment before noticing the carousal had been endlessly lapping his suitcase around.

As he sat in the cab, he stared out the window a bit whiplashed by the day's earlier events. Yet while the poster of Adrien weighed down on his soul, it was to the girl he had bumped into that his attention turned to. He remembered the other girl's voice calling out to her, as he tried to recall her name. Marinette, or something.

A light drizzle came down on the gloomy Parisian landscape as the cab pulled up to the Agreste mansion. Felix held out the palm of his hand, allowing the cold, misty rain to touch his skin. He sighed again, plucking his sunglasses off and sticking them in the front pocket of his jacket. Home, he thought. I'm finally home.

"Home sweet home."


	2. Chapter 2: Happy Birthday

The mansion was quiet, much to Felix's satisfaction. With no one around he could finally be at peace. He was still feeling agitated from earlier, and the tingling sensation inside of him was upsetting his stomach. He gripped at his stomach and winced as he headed to the kitchen. The mansion was always so meticulously clean despite the fact he rarely witnessed servants roaming around. It was still very much the same as it had been a year earlier. He plunked his luggage down beside the kitchen counter and took out a small glass, filling it with water. Watching the water flow into the sink seemed to calm him. As he brought the glass to his lips a familiar voice was shouting his name, causing him to spit water into the sink.

"Felix! It's been so long!" Adrien said, genuine happiness in his expression as he approached his older brother. Felix furiously wiped his mouth and turned away from Adrien to cough, having not expected them to meet so suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. Hi."

Adrien was barely put off by his brother's apprehensiveness. Felix had always come across as abrasive and although he rarely showed Adrien even the smallest of a smile, Adrien was forever smiling and regarding his brother with kindness. It sickened him.

Felix picked up his luggage from the floor and headed out the door. Adrien slunk down in the background, his smile quickly vanishing. He stared at his brother's back, longing for him to turn back around. _Why are you like this_? Adrien thought, his shoulders falling. He glanced at the half empty glass his brother had used. _Please don't turn your back on me, too_.

In the hallway, Felix ran into Nathalie, who almost seemed surprised to see him standing there. Her surprise turned back to her usual expression, causing Felix to cluck his tongue at her. Everyone was pissing him off today. He nodded at her before heading up the staircase.

"Your father might be returning home today." Nathalie replied to his silent hello, perking Felix's attention. He didn't turn back to look at her but remained standing still, intently listening. Adrien fumbled out of the kitchen at Nathalie's words.

"Father's coming home tonight?" he asked excitedly, turning from Nathalie to his brother.

Nathalie remained motionless, ignoring Adrien. "It isn't certain yet, but he would like to see you. Before you head back to New York."

Felix was surprised, but had guessed as much. His stomach rolled. He wasn't prepared to see Gabriel Agreste today. Yet silence overfell him as he realized this likely meant his father wouldn't be home to celebrate Christmas. Again he wondered why he came home. Adrien seemed to almost overflow with happiness as Nathalie stared down Felix's back. He suddenly felt small, as if she were shrinking him with her inhuman gaze.

"Whatever. Then when he comes home, knock on my bedroom door. I'm going to sleep." Felix mumbled, running up the steps.

He slammed his bedroom door behind him, as Adrien followed. Felix leaned his back against the door, scratching at his scalp frantically. He tossed his luggage aside and sighed, staring at his barren room. It was so _clean_. Adrien waited on the other side of the door, his hand held up in preparation to knock. Yet he couldn't find the courage in him to even speak out, to say his brother's name. His arm fell limply to his side.

Felix's mind whirled. _Why am I letting myself become so agitated_? He groaned. He wandered aimlessly over to his bed, plopping himself down on the cool, white blanket. It felt new. He crinkled the duvet under his fingers and let himself fall asleep. _I'm so tired, so tired_. The last thought on his mind was of the blue eyed girl.

"Felix. Felix? FELIX!"

He slowly awoke to Adrien calling his name. "Felix!"

" _What_?" he muttered. There was a certain element of excitement in Adrien's voice, but that only pissed him off more. _And just when I was beginning to relax_.

"Father's home!" Adrien exclaimed. Felix shot out of his daze and pushed his blond hair out of his eyes.

Dinner had already been set out. Felix was surprised to see the spread of food before him. Adrien practically skipped to his seat at the table. At the very end sat the stoic Gabriel Agreste, with Nathalie standing at his side. Mr. Agreste propped his chin under his large hands, staring up at Felix. Felix faltered momentarily, avoiding his father's gaze as he took his seat.

"It's been awhile," Mr. Agreste spoke, causing great discomfort in Felix. Adrien appeared unaffected by his father's strict tone. Mr. Agreste's voice turned calm, almost welcoming when he next spoke. "How was America?"

Felix furrowed his brow slightly, unused to his father's kindness. "Good."

"I want to hear all your stories, Felix! Tell me, what's New York like? Is living in a dorm fun?" Adrien raddled on, but his questions were soon ended by Mr. Agreste.

"Adrien, do not interrupt your brother when we are speaking." He commanded, causing Adrien to shrink a little. He sheepishly glanced off to the side, obviously affected by his father's words. Felix sought to end the discomfort of the situation by speaking next.

"It's fine, father. New York is fun. It's, uh, _nice_." Felix said nervously, eyeing his plate of food. He began to pick at it with his fork, wondering what to say next. He couldn't bring himself to look his father in the eye.

Mr. Agreste softened. "I am just trying to instill good manners in Adrien, Felix." Felix closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows at that remark. Adrien was already fifteen and as far as Felix was concerned was better off than most boys his age. _If that boy is disciplined like this any further, he's going to break_ …

Dinner went by rather silently, with a few questions from Adrien asking Felix how his life was like in New York. Yet all Felix wanted was to not talk about his life. He was glad to get away from school life. Being surrounded 24/7 by other hormonal teenage boys was enough to drive him up the wall. He wasn't much attached to his life there. He had somewhat missed his everyday life in Paris, although he would never admit to that. Living in Paris would mean living in the empty hell that was the Agreste mansion, and Felix wasn't ready to confine his life to there.

But his mind turned back to that girl, Marinette or whatever. He wondered why he couldn't shake his thoughts of her. She was just a regular girl but for some reason she had caught his attention. _Ew, gross_ , he shuddered. _Don't let yourself get all gushy over a female_. He shook his head yet her face wouldn't go away.

"What's the matter, Felix?" Adrien asked, appearing intent to listen. Felix frowned.

"It's nothing."

After the meal was finished, Mr. Agreste snapped his fingers. Nathalie moved over to Felix's side, passing him a gift wrapped in pale blue paper. Felix gingerly received the gift. He hated the gifts his father gave him. Adrien and his father watched him as he slowly opened the present, dreading what he was about to find. Yet inside, the gift contained a single set of white satin gloves. Felix was confused.

"Uh, gloves?" he asked, lifting them up. White satin gloves. The cuffs of the gloves were brilliantly detailed in black.

"It's a gift—a _special_ gift." Mr. Agreste replied to his son's apprehensiveness. Felix looked from his father back to the gloves. What was he supposed to do with these?

Much later after dinner, Felix sat up in his bedroom examining the gloves. Why would his father want him to possess white satin gloves? At least the black trimming made them slightly fashionable. When he went to try them on he noticed something was blocking his fingers in the left glove. He shook the glove over his bed until a small black ring fell out.

"Huh, what's this?"

Felix's voice trailed off as Adrien knocked on the door, peaking his head in. He shoved the gloves and the black ring behind him, looking up at his brother.

"Uh, Felix," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He held one arm behind his back before approaching his brother, handing him a gold wrapped box. "Happy Birthday."

Felix was surprised. For months he had ignored his brother's attempts to reach out to him, yet still on his birthday Adrien wanted to give him a present. He felt a lump grow in his chest as he took the gift from his brother's hands. Adrien smiled. "I hope you'll like it."

"Thanks."

Guilt riddled him. Yet there was a feeling overwhelming him, as he stared down at the box. It was different than when he received the present from his father. This gift felt warm, as if it had been carefully chosen. It had been so long since he had last received a present like this.

Since their mother had disappeared.

Adrien quietly slipped out of his bedroom as Felix remained dazed, staring absentmindedly down at the present. The younger brother smiled in the shadow of the doorway, feeling as though he had been able to accomplish something major. "Happy Birthday, Felix."

Author's Note: I'm glad some people seem interested in the story so far. :) This is my first fanfic so I hope I can keep it going strong.

Lots of potential angst to come thanks to my (not much) younger sister for telling me to write this.


	3. Chapter 3: Pigtails

Felix found himself curled up in front of the television the next morning, marveling the black ring as the news anchor chattered on in the background. It struck him as odd for his father to consider giving him jewelry. The gloves were strange enough considering their outdatedness. He rolled the ring between his fingers, examining the single ruby embedded in the centre. It glinted in the faint light of the living room.

"In recent news, Ladybug and Chat Noir have saved Paris again from a recent attack—"

"What?" Felix scrunched his brow and glanced up at the television screen. "What sort of names are those?"

In the background of the news footage Felix saw the spotted superhero leaping from building to building, her jet back pigtails swinging in the wind. _Pigtails, huh_? He thought. He remembered the girl he ran into at the airport. Marinette, or whatever. She had pigtails, didn't she? _Must be some new trend going on in Paris_.

"Waaaaait, superheroes?" Felix shot up.

In New York, Felix had been oblivious to what was happening in France. Anytime the news switched to anything to do with his home country he would turn a blind eye. So suddenly hearing about strange attacks plaguing his country and two masked superheroes saving the day came as a surprise to him. He laughed awkwardly, raising an eyebrow. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Felix," Nathalie spoke. Her voice startled him, as he quickly turned the television off and turned to face her. "Can you go to Adrien's school and give him this textbook? He left it on the counter this morning."

Felix tilted his head back. "Why, can't you just drive over and drop it off yourself?" he scoffed.

"I'm afraid something important has come up for Mr. Agreste and we need to personally escort him somewhere. So, if you aren't busy—"

Felix groaned internally, but tried his best to flash a fake smile at Nathalie as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Sure, tell me the address of his school."

He didn't particularly mind the walk, although it was a bit far from the mansion. Ever since he had entered high school, Felix had lived abroad. The Agreste family had only moved to the area in the past year, the majority of which Felix had spent in New York. He wondered what his old friends were up to. He wasn't particularly resourceful with social media or texting. Besides, his number was always winding up in the hands of troublesome girls.

It was lunch break at the school when Felix arrived. Alya and Marinette were eating together in the cafeteria.

"So, your cousin is staying with your family for the holidays?" Alya was asking Marinette, as she took a bite into today's gruel.

"Yeah! She moved to America when she was a little girl and my aunt and uncle wanted her to experience Paris now that she's old enough to travel on her own. What's all the commotion in the hallway?" Marinette had noticed a gaggle of students crowding the door to the cafeteria.

"Never mind that. I have even bigger news to share with you, girl! Hey, did you know Adrien had a secret brother?"

"A brother?" Marinette's eyes flashed wide. This was the first time she'd heard of this. She started brainstorming in her head what he would look like. _If he's related to Adrien, he must be super handsome_ , she thought.

Adrien was trying to make his way to the cafeteria when he heard Chloe's annoyingly pitched voice cooing at somebody. He wondered who she was making her latest victim.

The guy she was accosting wasn't appreciating her advances. "Can you leave me alone? As if I'd be interested in talking to the likes of you." he said, appearing prickled by the attention. Adrien immediately recognized the tall, blond haired boy and called out to him to save him from Chloe's grasp.

"Felix, what are you doing here?" Adrien asked him, causing Felix to swing around. He grimaced at Chloe, then huffed his nose up in the air. Yet she didn't seem to totally take a hint and scram.

Felix retrieved the textbook from his messenger bag and passed it to Adrien. "Nathalie found your textbook laying on the counter."

"You came all the way here just to deliver this?" Adrien was surprised. It was rare for Felix to be thoughtful, let alone to do something out of kindness.

"Whatever, she gave me a hard time over it so I didn't really have much of a choice." grumbled Felix.

Adrien smiled, appreciating what his brother had done. "Hey, why don't you stick around for lunch?"

"Uh, no, that's—"

Felix grimaced as he loaded his tray, feeling the eyes of Adrien's classmates on his back. Alya nudged at Marinette. "Look! I think I've spotted Adrien's brother!"

 _Adrien's brother_. That was a new one. Felix felt a shiver go up his back just at the mere mention of them being siblings, but here he was nameless. He could barely bring himself to lift his head as Adrien led him along to one of the tables. He decided to take a seat close to where Alya and Marinette were sitting, the two girls eyeing the boys inquisitively.

Felix glanced at the girls who smiled back in earnest, but it was when he saw Marinette's face that he froze. She was the blue eyed girl from the airport, he thought. From her reaction, she didn't appear to recognize him. Felix remained frozen until he managed a stiff nod. She was wearing pigtails again.

"Oh hey, Alya, Marinette!" Adrien said to the girls. "This is my older brother, Felix."

 _So her name_ was _Marinette_. "Uh, yeah, hi."

The two girls glanced Felix up and down. He was quite tall with fair skin and pale blue eyes. He had the same blond hair like his brother, neatly in place and tied in a small ponytail in the back. He wore a dark grey blazer over a white V-neck t-shirt, with tailored faded jeans and black sneakers. Yet he gave off a completely different vibe from his brother. While Adrien came off as warm and polite, Felix came across as aloof and uncomfortable. He sat back with his shoulders straightened but there was an air of discomfort in his expression. Still, he struck them as the cool and intelligent type.

Adrien chattered a bit with Alya, as Felix absentmindedly took a bite of his lunch. He wasn't sure what it was he had just put in his mouth but now he was gagging. _She doesn't recognize me?_

When lunch was over and Felix was preparing to leave, he noted how the two girls remained at the side as Adrien waved him goodbye. Marinette was sighing. A soft, lovely sigh. _No, no no no, no, Felix._ He was shaking his head. _Don't even think about thinking of her_. Yet his curiosity got the better of him. She was staring at Adrien, her eyes clouded and her cheeks rosy. Her best friend was teasing her, but he couldn't hear a word she was saying because he was too busy noticing something important.

 _Oh no_ , he thought.

 _Oh shit_.

She liked Adrien.

Suddenly it all made sense to him, why they ran into each other at that particular spot in the airport. She was just like all those other girls, fawning over the poster of Adrien. She had that same love struck expression, that same giddy air to her that those girls did. Oh no, he grumbled. He covered his mouth as if to stop himself from puking. Any time he encountered a girl like that he felt a sickness in his stomach. Or maybe this time it was just the awful cafeteria food. Either way, if he didn't hurry out of there he was going to blow chunks everywhere.

Maybe she even _loved_ Adrien.

 _Gross, gross, gross_.

Felix hurried out of the courtyard, unable to breathe until he was well onto the sidewalk walking home. He furrowed his brow and frowned. What was so special about Adrien that made girls look at him that way? And why did that pigtails girl have to sigh like that? Felix closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, rubbing his forehead furiously.

"Girl problems?"

"What? No, no. Nothing of the sort. Just a slight headache."

"Wow, you look really pissed off."

"Well, thanks for noticing—" _Wait_. Felix stopped. Who was talking to him?

He spun around on his heel but no one was around. Weird, he thought. There was barely a soul in sight.

"Down here, bud."

Felix looked down at his feet, where the mysterious voice was coming from. A small Siamese cat sat there, its bright baby blue eyes staring up at him. They wore a magenta coloured collar with a golden name tag in the shape of a heart. _Did the cat just_...

"What? Cat got your tongue?" the cat laughed. Felix almost fell on his back.


	4. Chapter 4: Did This Cat Just Talk to Me?

"So, let me get this straight."

Felix had a grave expression on his face as he exited the convenience store and turned into an empty alleyway. The Siamese cat popped its little head out his messenger bag as he crouched down, opening a can of tuna. It leapt out of his bag, hungrily eyeing the food. Felix crossed his arms over his knees.

"Please explain yourself." Felix mumbled, afraid others walking by would spot the pretty boy talking to a cat.

"Oooh, tuna! I've missed the taste of tuna so much!" the kitty exclaimed. Or mewed, Felix wasn't quite sure which it was yet.

"I asked you a question, cat."

The cat gobbled down a mouthful of the shredded fish, not at all bothered by Felix's permanent scowl. "The name is Nimbus."

"Your tag says your name is Mollie."

Nimbus sort of shrugged her body as she ate. "Whatever, a simple technicality. And your name is Felix Agreste, right? Pour me some milk, please."

"How the hell do you know my name?" _WHY AM I TALKING TO A CAT?_

Felix did as she said, begrudged. "Do cats even actually drink milk?"

The cat chomped down happily on the last bit of tuna, satisfied. "Ahhhh, I feel so much better now. I've been travelling for over three days now just to find you."

"Huh, why would you be looking for me? I've barely been in Paris for twenty-four hours…"

Felix wondered if he was sick or something. Maybe the cafeteria food was causing him to hallucinate. He'd never experienced a talking cat before. His mind was whirling. But clearly the cat wasn't going to answer any of his questions until she had finished her meal. He touched the back of his hand to his forehead to check his temperature.

When Nimbus was finished she sighed with relief and then yawned. "Okay, show me your ring."

"My ring?" Felix wondered before remembering the black ring from the night before. It was a small ring, barely fitting on his left pinky finger where he had slid it on in haste earlier. Why did the cat know about the ring? He held his left hand out to her and Nimbus placed a paw on his. "Do you mean this one?"

"Oooh, they gave you a good one!"

"Excuse me..?" Felix was confused. "My father gave me this ring."

"Did he?" Nimbus didn't seem particularly interested in that fact. She ran her tiny paw across his fingers until she touched the ring. "Well, if only he knew what power this ring possesses."

Felix retracted his hand. "Uh, what are you talking about? How did you know about this ring?"

Nimbus stared up into his eyes. "There's a certain mission you've been chosen to accomplish. I work for an organization that wants to find out who it is that harnesses the ability to Akumatize people. We need you to fight alongside Ladybug and Chat—"

"What?"

 _Oh my god, I must have been drugged or something. What the hell did this cat just say? She wants me to what—Akumatize? What the hell is that? Ladybug and—_

"Oh, Pigtails."

Nimbus tilted her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

Felix grabbed the cat by the scruff of her neck. "Yes, something is very, _very_ wrong. First off, how the hell is a cat talking to me? Can we start there before you start spewing all that nonsense—and what the heck does Akumatize mean?" Felix spluttered. Now it was Nimbus' turn to seem uncomfortable about the situation.

"Let's move elsewhere," Nimbus said. She motioned for Felix to pick her up and he did, although he didn't quite understand why. He placed her back into his bag. "Do you seriously have no idea what an Akuma is?"

"Uh, well, I heard about the word once in a Japanese class, but… No, I don't." he mumbled, walking out onto the street.

Suddenly, a woman was screaming in the midst of the afternoon crowd. Everyone was in a panic. Felix was confused but unfazed. He was still too delirious from his conversation with Nimbus. The cat stuck her head out from the bag at the sound of a scream. "Well, looks like you're about to have firsthand experience."

"Look, it's Ladybug and Chat Noir!" someone yelled. The crowd broke out in glee.

Felix looked to where the people were pointing, spotting the pair he'd seen on television this morning. He quickly noted the girl in red, her ebony pigtails swinging as she leapt from one place to another. Close behind her was her cat eared companion, who Felix hadn't really thought of much earlier.

"So," Felix sucked in his cheeks for a moment before looking down at Nimbus. "I take it they're superheroes then?"

"Where have you been that you don't know about Ladybug and Chat Noir? Mars?"

At Nimbus' prodding, Felix ran after the magical pair until he got to a clearing where there appeared another being similar to them. The third magical being was dressed in all black ballet attire, with a black swan wrapped around her body and a delicate mask on her face. She was floating midair when Felix noticed her black wings. _Okay_ , Felix thought. _Hold up. What the hell is going on here_?

" _That's_ an akuma!" Nimbus told him, practically excited by the situation. Felix hid them behind a bush to watch the scene unfold.

"An akuma, eh?" Felix mused. _Am I dreaming_? He sat back with one knee proper up appearing interested in seeing what might happen next.

Nimbus rolled her eyes and prodded him, jumping out to lay on his chest. She knocked him back on the ground. "What are you doing? I need you to join them!"

"You need me to what?"

Nimbus sighed. "Like I was saying earlier, we—I need you to help out Ladybug and Chat Noir. That ring you have, it can grant you magical powers like they have. But unfortunately it doesn't hold the same powers as theirs do since it isn't exactly a miraculous…"

"A miraculous? What's that?" Felix wondered, peering at his ring.

The cat hissed. "Ugh, stop asking questions! I'll fill you in later. For now, I need you to transform!"

"Transform?!" Felix sputtered a laugh as he sat up. "And how exactly do you expect me to do that?"

Nimbus held out her paw again. "Give me your left hand."

Felix didn't quite understand why, but he did as she asked. Nimbus gently grazed his ring until a strange light erupted from it. Okay, this was new. He was pretty sure rings weren't supposed to do this.

"Alright! Now, Felix, transform!"


	5. Chapter 5: Felix is a Magical Boy

There were two things happening to Felix that he had never expected in his lifetime.

1\. Talking cats.

2\. Becoming a magical boy.

He watched with great astonishment as the ring began to glow. A strange opalescent light enveloped his body. Felix winced, but the power overcoming him was rather exhilarating. Nimbus' blue eyes stared unblinkingly up at him until the light vanished.

He felt strange, as a new surge of adrenaline overcome his body. He glanced down at his hands, noticing he was now wearing the white opera gloves he had received yesterday. Wait, what? They hadn't been on him earlier…

"These gloves—"

"Wow, you look so cool!" her little voice exclaimed. Felix teetered to his feet.

"Do I?" he muttered aloud, examining his appearance. He wasn't wearing a body fitting costume like the other two superheroes. Instead, his garments were flowy, black and white fabrics. He noticed he was wearing a long, black cape. "Do you have a mirror on you? Let me see."

"Err, now probably isn't the time to be checking yourself out." Nimbus said nervously, shifting her focus over to the Akuma.

Felix felt his stomach drop with realization. "Wait, you can't seriously mean I have to fight that thing. I barely know what I'm capable of."

"Oh, don't worry about that! It should come naturally to you. I mean, at least I think that's how it works."

"You worry me, cat."

Nimbus ignored his last statement and pointed a paw towards the battle. "Alright, Felix, show meow what you've got!"

Felix groaned. "Ugh, stop with the cat puns, please."

* * *

"Hey, My Lady. Check meowt!"

"Now isn't really the time, Chat."

Ladybug was trying to execute her next move. She groaned at her partner's attempts to impress her, but mostly at his puns. There had been an influx of Akuma attacks as of late and she was wondering why that was.

 _It's her headpiece_ , Ladybug thought. "Chat, the Akuma is in her tiara!"

Chat grinned, cracking his fingers. "Alright, My Lady." he cooed playfully. She wasn't really in the mood to take his shit today. Chat turned towards the Akuma. "Sorry, Le Cygne Noir, the only princess in my heart is the spotted beauty you see here."

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

Le Cygne Noir pressed a delicate hand against her lips and laughed. "My, how charming of a prince you have, Ladybug."

"He's _no_ t my prince."

Chat grinned wider and winked. "Oh, we'll see about that."

The black winged bird woman smirked, holding out the palm of her hand. A plume of dark black smoke erupted from her palm, solidifying into a dagger-like object. She wrapped her cold fingertips around the crystalline dagger, her eyes enlarging and her teeth appearing razor sharp. "Yes, if he truly isn't your prince, then allow me to take him from your hands." she hissed, preparing to throw the dagger at Chat.

Just as Ladybug was about to call on her Lucky Charm a mysterious object flew through the air, knocking the dagger out of the Akuma's hand. It shattered midair like a glittering rainbow, its shards cascading downwards. The Akuma was just as shocked as Chat Noir and Ladybug, as they glanced down at the object that had pierced the dagger. It was a rose, or something akin to a rose, white and glittery, dissipating as it hit the ground.

"What?!"

"I think I might make for a better deal over him."

Off to the side, they saw the mysterious opponent. A taller young man stood there, draped in a long, black cape and flowy formal clothing. He wore a half white mask on his face, his shaggy long blond hair covering the other half. He stood positioned with an arrow pointed towards the Akuma, smirking.

Yet internally, the confident young man behind the mask was wavering. He could feel the sweat beads permeating on his forehead as he panicked. _SHIT, what did I just do?!_

But before he could think, the others were already reacting. Ladybug and Chat glanced at one another, awestruck but unable to allow their defenses to fall. The Akuma was the most stunned, taken back a moment before she began to rage. That was a good thing, right? Felix hoped it was a good thing, yet he had to dodge before she tossed another similar purple crystal in his direction. As he strode sideways, avoiding her weapons, he pointed the arrow up at her. The arrows were white roses with black thorns, the ends sharpened. _Good thing I took those archery lessons_. As he prepared to launch he felt something wrap around his body, pulling him to the ground. Ladybug stood over him, pulling him towards her with her yo-yo.

"Hey, let me go!"

"Why should I?" Ladybug asked inquisitively. She seemed concerned. "And who are you? What are you doing get involved"

Felix felt like telling her, "Well, I'm a superhero, kind of like you." But he figured if he said that out loud it would come across as too sarcastic. _Who am I?_ He wasn't even sure what it was he looked like at that moment. He tried to look around for some reflective surface. He spotted a nearby restaurant with a big glass window and glanced at his newfound appearance. His hair was slightly longer and curlier, still loosely tied in a low ponytail. When he tried to whisk the stray hair across his eye away he realized that by doing so he might reveal his identity. _Why is it only a half mask?_

He remembered the opera gloves and looked Ladybug in the eye. "I am… Le Fantome."

Ladybug felt something was off. All this time, the only superheroes in Paris she had known of were her and Chat Noir. Then again, it wasn't impossible for there to be other people in possession of miraculous in the world. Yet the timing of this guy's appearance struck her as… random. Well, it all was quite random. She pondered whether to let him go but was given little of a choice when Chat had to block her from another attack.

"I'm here to help you," Felix said, as he tried to wriggle out of the string. "Now let me go."

She finally heeded his pleas and released him, although she remained suspicious. It didn't appear like he was an Akuma, and she had never experienced two Akumas being released at once before either. Still, something was off. She somewhat welcomed the idea of a third teammate but had never expected it to occur like this. It was already strange enough how she and Chat had come together.

"Just don't get in the way." she warned him. He took that as a good sign and leapt to his feet.

It was all very surreal, and Felix felt his head was spinning. Yet when the adrenaline kicked in it all did seem to come naturally to him, just as Nimbus had said. He wondered briefly about the cat hiding in the bushes, what she was thinking of this whole ordeal. He almost wanted to check in her direction, to see if she was staring but before he could so much as cast a glimpse someone was calling to him.

"Watch out!"

Felix held his breath, having come eye to eye with the Akuma. She was smirking as she grabbed hold of his wrists, causing him to drop the bow and arrow. Felix froze. He could feel her icy presence piercing him over. Yet he didn't move or attempt to. Everything was moving in slow motion. And then his eyes glowed. He felt himself chanting something quietly but couldn't understand the words he was saying.

Felix disappeared inside the Akuma.


	6. Chapter 6: Confusion

Felix slowly opened his eyes. He felt as if he had just fallen, hard and fast towards the ground, his vision swirling. He discovered he was lying flat on his back, as white glitter touched his face. It felt soft and wet, cold as it melted against his skin. _Ah, it's snowing_..

Nimbus jumped on top of his chest. "You finally woke up."

He grunted in pain, swatting at his forehead with his left arm as he winced. He tried to pull himself up, burying his face in his hands. "God, what happened?"

"That's what I was just about to ask you."

Felix closed his eyes and sat for a moment, trying to recollect himself. "I can't… remember anything."

As he swiped his hands away from his face he glanced back at the black ring. He fiddled at it with his fingers. _Why can't I remember what happened?_ He could remember everything up until one point. He remembered coming face to face with the Akuma, and then everything went black. Felix stared vacantly across at the space where the battle had taken place. It was already evening.

Nimbus could see the confusion in his expression. "You went inside the Akuma."

"I did what?"

Nimbus gave a little nod. "That's the power of that ring."

Felix balled his hand into a fist, furrowing his brow. "Nothing is making sense. Why can't I remember then?"

"Hm, it might be the power of Ladybug's miraculous. Or maybe you need to become stronger."

"No, something's not right."

He couldn't quite place his finger on what. He barely understood the rules of the fight he was embarking on. All he knew was now he was a… superhero. At least sort of, even if just temporarily. There were a billion questions buzzing inside of him and he eyed the cat suspiciously. She tilted her head slightly, scratching at her ear. Just exactly who was this cat?

Felix got to his feet and began to walk away, alarming Nimbus. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

Nimbus trailed behind him. Felix walked at a brisk pace. "Are you angry?" she asked.

Felix didn't reply straight away. He was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened. The sky had already completely clouded over, the snowflakes softly falling and melting against his clothes. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "No, I just have a lot of questions."

All he wanted was to go back to his room, to remove the ring and find the white gloves. When he reached the entrance of the mansion, Nimbus stopped at the gate. She stared solemnly up at him but he ignored her. She watched his back as the gate closed behind him, sitting behind the bars.

He ignored Nathalie as he walked past her in the hallway. She told him dinner had been set an hour ago but Felix didn't speak. He was too busy thinking. When he reached upstairs he glanced at the door to Adrien's room. It didn't appear that he was home.

"What's that brat up to?" Felix muttered. He almost twisted the handle to Adrien's room but stopped himself. Ever since they were kids he had never entered Adrien's personal space. He couldn't understand why, but that had always been something between them. Although the two had lived as close as brothers could they had grown up in entirely different environments. He let his fingers graze the handle before falling back to his side, turning away to go to his room. Adrien opened the door, appearing shocked to see Felix standing outside. Felix's eyes widened as he tried to awkwardly sneak away but he realized it was too late.

"You're finally home," Adrien said. He looked tired. Felix figured it must be from all the afterschool activities his father had enrolled him in. "Where did you go after lunch break?"

"Uhhh, I went for a walk. Yeah, a long walk." Felix backpedaled. He hadn't really thought of what to say when asked just yet. If it had been Nathalie the normal response was just to ignore her. But when Adrien asked he felt afraid of lying. Adrien always stared at him with such honest eyes. He reminded him terribly of their mother when he looked at him.

"Oh." Adrien replied. _Oh?_ He seemed preoccupied by something.

Felix noted his brother's apprehensiveness. It wasn't aimed towards him, rather he didn't appear to be thinking much of Felix at that moment. He was staring at the floor, deep in thought. Felix was too tired to question Adrien but found himself speaking without meaning to. "Something bothering you?"

Adrien jolted back to his usual expression. His hands flew up as he did. Felix noticed the glint of the gold ring Adrien always wore. That strange ring. He put his ringed hand back into his pocket, not wanting Adrien to notice it. He was still trying to figure out why the ring was in the pair of gloves. He didn't take his eyes off the gold ring, suddenly intrigued by it.

"N-No, everything is fine!" Adrien chimed. His voice almost hurt Felix's ears as he grimaced, backing away. _Yeah, everything is totally_ not _fine if you're acting like that, kid_. Felix knew his little brother well enough to notice when he was lying, even if Adrien laughed and tried to switch the topic.

Felix didn't pester him any longer, as he felt a raging headache coming on. He could focus on Adrien later. He still thought of the gold ring as he turned away, but his thoughts quickly went back to the Akuma attack. What had happened exactly? He wondered if Nimbus was still around. Of course she had to be. He felt guilty for ignoring her earlier when she was really the other person—err, cat—that he could talk to about today's events. There was still a lot that she needed to explain to him. He wondered if he should go out and look for her.

"Whatever," Felix shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure who he was saying that to. Adrien let his defenses fall, appearing relieved.

Back in his room, Felix picked up the still wrapped box from Adrien. He slowly unwrapped it, finding a snow globe inside. _Weird gift choice_. Yet when he examined it closer he noticed something peculiar about it. "Wasn't this Mom's?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi all! I have a very important job interview coming up along with a ton of assignments for school, so I may not be able to update as much as I want until after Valentine's Day. I really can't wait to write more about Felix's powers! :) I'll still be updating more this week but can't make any promises for next week. ^^ Hopefully you're enjoying it so far!


	7. Chapter 7: Only Time Will Tell

A/N: Hey! Sorry this is so late, adult life caught up with me. Next week is my spring break so I will be able to upload more! :) This chapter might be a little weird. lol

* * *

Felix was dreaming. He saw that he was in England, standing across from Big Ben. In the foreground he saw his mother and Adrien, and himself. He was ten-years-old, Adrien merely eight. Little Adrien was holding hands with their mother, while little Felix stood off to the side, chatting away. There was such an animated expression on young Felix's face that left current Felix perplexed. Since he had reached his teens, he had lost that sense of wonder he once had about the world. He remembered this was a trip they had taken close to Christmas time, when their father was busy with work. His mother seemed somewhat tired but happy to take her children sightseeing.

He hadn't really remembered this memory. He knew they had gone to England and he had seen the large clock tower in person before, but the memory had long since faded. Which struck him as odd considering how enthusiastic young Felix had seemed about the whole endeavour.

His mother had always had a fascination with clocks and watches. Felix wasn't quite sure why. He only just randomly remembered that fact as he watched his little happy family admire the clock tower. It had been one of his mother's greatest dreams to see the clock tower.

Glancing down at his hands, he noticed the snow globe. It was a trinket, really, something his mother had picked up on one of her many excursions. Inside the snow globe was a couple, their bodies entwined. They were dancing, the woman in red and the man in a black tuxedo. He cocked an eyebrow at it, lifting it up to inspect it. On the bottom he noticed there were initials engraved, but neither were his parents' initials.

"Strange…"

The clock tower struck four in the afternoon, alarming him. It was a sound that was so familiar yet so foreign. He remained in partial shock, his attention turning back to his family. He could see the kindness in his mother's smile, as she sat with Adrien sitting on her lap, little Felix leaning against a post as he spoke to her.

"Time is such a magical thing," she said to him, her eyes beaming. She had the same beautiful green eyes as his younger brother. "Make sure to cherish every moment."

It seemed like such an odd thing to say. This entire memory was particularly strange. Why that line now stuck out to him, Felix was unsure. If time had been so important to their mother, why had she left? He had partially blocked that memory away. It was a strange day, something he wasn't quite ready to address. But now, he felt a familiar pain in his chest as he watched his mother, with love in her expression watching her two children. They had meant the world to her, as she did to them. He felt like calling out to her, although he knew she couldn't see him, or hear him. She was forever stuck in that memory, far away from her children.

"Mother, why did you leave? Where did you go?"

He could feel a tear fall down his cheek, cold to the touch as he pressed his fingers against it. He stared absentmindedly at the droplet on his fingertips. When had he cried last? He felt the snow globe slip from his other hand, shattering to the ground. Felix woke up.

* * *

Natalie was knocking on his bedroom door. Felix shot up, startled. "Felix, breakfast is ready."

"Yes." he replied, shoving the covers off of him. He was still wearing the ring. On his bedside table sat the snow globe. He eyed it suspiciously, wondering about the dream.

At breakfast, Adrien was absent. Natalie informed Felix that he had a modeling shoot for the day, and Felix absently nodded. Although he was the older son and as equally talented and good looking as his younger sibling, he had somehow lucked out on the modeling gig. In fact, Gabriel Agreste wasn't much interested in Felix's life as he was invested in Adrien's. He never quite understood why, he only figured that came with being the baby of the family. Largely, Felix had been left to his own devices growing up. He feared his father, but compared to Adrien, their relationship was much more lax.

But now, Felix thought, he had the upper hand. If Adrien was the good looking, well natured child of the family who was famous from childhood, Felix was the misunderstood, hateful older son who was left in the shadows. But now, he was a superhero… temporarily. He was able to fight alongside Paris' beloved duo. His memory went back to the night before. His smile faded and turned to a frown as he remembered that he wasn't exactly sure what had happened that evening. Why had everything gone black?

He shot up from the dining chair, remembering poor Nimbus. He had acted so cold towards her and hadn't even bothered to check on her after opening the present from Adrien. He rushed outside and began to look around the property. It was chilly and he had neglected to put on his jacket as he checked every nook and cranny for her.

But of course, why would she be there? There was no reason for her to remain. Still, she was the only one he could talk to, to make sense of yesterday's events. He wandered down the streets of Paris, drawing attention to himself. He hadn't even combed his hair, let alone wear proper clothing. He rubbed at the sides of his arms solemnly as he searched for her. She must have been around somewhere.

Just when he thought of climbing in a random dumpster in the middle of the city, he heard a voice call out from behind him. "What's this? Is dumpster diving popular in America?"

"Nimbus!" Felix called, but he stumbled and fell inside the dumpster, the lid falling down on him when he popped his head up in surprise. She sat, rather unaffected as she watched the scenario play out. He coughed and spluttered, pushing up the lid a moment later. He had never seemed so lively. "I'm glad I found you!"

"Technically, I found you." She licked at her paw. "You should consider yourself lucky I'm even still talking to you, after how you brushed me off last night."

"I'm sorry," Felix said, his voice almost genuine. That piqued Nimbus' attention. He leapt from the dumpster and stumbled towards her. He picked her up and held her to his chest, which the cat struggled against. "It won't happen again."

"Ewww, you reek! Let me go this instant, you stinky human!" she growled, biting his arm. Felix released her but still appeared happy. "You're creeping me out, you weren't nearly this nice to me yesterday."

He almost giggled as he watched her lick herself frantically, his disheveled blond hair falling over his face. He was extremely happy. "I do have a good side, I'll have you know."

"Too bad it's still creepy."

He chuckled.

Felix realized if they were going to talk, then he needed to get himself cleaned up. As they walked out onto the streets together, his stomach let out a loud growl. He remembered he had barely touched breakfast earlier and clutched his stomach, frowning.

"Are you sick?" Nimbus asked, but she was already making up reasons in her mind. Felix could sense that.

Off to the side, he noticed a bakery. Despite his personality, Felix had a major sweet tooth. "Just a tad hungry. Let me check out this bakery, suddenly I'm craving cookies."

* * *

It had been so long since he'd been to a Parisian bakery. He missed the breads and pastries. The familiar sound of store bells resonated in his mind as he entered the bakery, almost licking his lips.

"Welcome."

Felix glanced up, rubbing at his face. He was stunned to see the girl behind the cash register. She had been in half a daze before recognizing him, lifting her head from the palm of her hand. Her wide blue eyes watched him. Felix suddenly became aware of his situation. He was disheveled and dirty looking, and smelt like rancid garbage. And here was Marinette, that pigtailed cutie who liked Adrien. He felt sick.

He tried to remedy the awkward situation by pointing blankly at some cookies behind the glass counter, fishing furiously in his pocket for his wallet. He tried to avoid looking at her, but Marinette was boring holes into him. He froze, frantically searching for his wallet. He must have forgotten it at home when he rushed out to look for the cat.

"I—uh—I wanted to—"

Marinette blinked, but her gaze didn't turn away from him.

"I—uh—Can I use your shower?"

He hadn't intended on saying that, or much less expected her to comply. She did so rather nonchalantly. She even showed him to where the washing machine was to let him clean his clothes.

"You can borrow some of my dad's old clothes." she told him. She seemed calm, but distracted. He wondered what she was thinking of, to let a strange boy into her house, into her bathroom.

Washing his hair in the shower, he couldn't help but laugh to himself. Here he was, in Marinette's shower, using her shampoo. It disgusted him how giddy that made him. He shuddered. Even Adrien had never seen the inside of her bathroom, never mind use it. He was the first. It was like he was marking his territory. He laughed like a madman.

When he was finished and dressed, towel drying his hair, he stepped out into the hallway. He accidentally bumped into someone outside the door.

"Oh, sorry, Mari—"

"Who are you?"

It was a girl who sort of looked like Marinette, except she had brown straight hair and brown eyes. She was maybe fourteen-years-old. Felix immediately backed away from her, surprised. Marinette came calling after the girl momentarily. "Oh, Bernadette! Sorry, I forgot to tell you about Felix."

Bernadette furrowed her brow and pointed at Felix. "Your boyfriend, maybe?" Her French was a bit awkward sounding.

Marinette threw her hands up in the air in protest, her eyes widening. "No, no, no! He's my—uh—my classmate's older brother. He just needed to borrow the bathroom. Besides, you know who I like."

Felix mentally checked off Adrien in his mind when she said the word "like". He felt his suspicions were confirmed. Bernadette nodded slightly, although she didn't appear to totally grasp the situation. Felix awkwardly side stepped away, looking at Marinette.

"I think I'll be taking my leave now. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh, really, it was no trouble at all. I'll give your clothes to Adrien tomorrow." Marinette smiled softly. It made him feel a bit sad that his brother would be receiving the clothes back and not him. What was Adrien going to think?

What _was_ Adrien going to think?

As Felix awkwardly stumbled out of the shop, Marinette followed him, passing him a paper bag. "Here, take some cookies. Did something happen?"

"Something did."

She didn't really question him, instead pressing the bag into his hand. He combed his hair back with his fingers and gave his best awkward smile. "Thanks," he muttered before rushing out the door.

Nimbus was waiting for him outside. "Well, that took you longer than expected. How come your hair is wet?"

"Long story, I'll tell you later. C'mon, little kitty. Let's go find you some canned tuna."

"Oooh, tuna!"

* * *

Felix had felt warm in Marinette's father's clothing. The old jacket somehow worked well enough to shield him from the elements. He neatly folded the clothes after arriving at home and munched down on one of the cookies. He had managed to sneak Nimbus inside and she was happily eating her supper on the floor.

He heard the click of Adrien's door opening, causing him to think of his brother. He stared back at the clothes. A sheepish grin appeared on his face. He gathered up the clothes and peeked his head out into the hallway, catching sight of a golden wisp of Adrien's hair.

"Adrien."

Adrien stopped, a little shocked. He settled and smiled softly at his brother. "Oh, hey."

Felix handed him the clothing, which confused Adrien. "I borrowed these from your classmate, err, that Marinette girl. The one who works in a bakery."

Adrien fumbled the clothing in his hands, seeming perplexed. Felix wasn't sure whether to feel amused or not. But instead of questioning it, Adrien just nodded and faked a smile. "Yeah, Marinette."

Adrien appeared to notice the glossy look in Felix's steel blue eyes, the dampness of the ends of his hair. He didn't quite look like Felix, not the brother he knew. There was a renewed fire in his eyes.

Before Adrien could turn away and go into his room, Felix thought of one more thing to add. "So, hey, about these Akuma attacks…"

"What about them?" Adrien's attention perked.

Felix tried not to betray himself with a smile when he spoke. "I saw about the attack in the paper this morning. Something about a third superhero joining, who were they, uh, Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Adrien's eyes widened. He stared distantly into his brother's face before returning to reality. "Yeah, I heard about that too." he said, his voice flat.

"What was his name, that third one?" Felix tapped his chin in fake thought.

"Fantome." Adrien replied quickly.

"Right, right. He seemed," Felix paused. But Adrien was already retreating back in his room. "—cool. Adrien?"

"Sorry, I'm not really feeling well at the moment." Adrien said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to return the clothes back to Marinette."

Felix frowned. Well, this wasn't how he had planned for this to all go down. Adrien had seemed shocked, like had seen a ghost or something. Felix scratched his head and then tried to remember what had happened yesterday. No matter what he searched about the incident, nothing of noteworthiness popped up.

Back in his room, Nimbus broke the peculiar silence. "How's your brother?"

"What happened yesterday?" Felix asked, more to himself than to her.


End file.
